Miracle Legion - The Backyard

American band Miracle Legion released The Backyard EP in 1984.  The opening title track sets the tone: very much along the lines of early REM, Mark Mulcahy singing a simple chorus line "The world was so big and I was so small".  The following track Butterflies has the prettiest guitar line on the EP, while on the other hand Closer to the Wall is much faster and rockier, but all still very much fitting the mould of REM on Murmur or Reckoning.

Guitarist Ray Neal's brooding, jangly guitar dominates Just Say Hello, and final track Steven Are You There? ends the EP on a suitably moody note.  Despite the obvious similarity to Stipe and co, this EP is still worth checking out in its own right.